The Wallabies lacked "confidence in the way we wanted to play" when they were trounced twice by the All Blacks in August, having spent just two weeks training under Ewen McKenzie, James Horwill says.

New Zealand outclassed Australia 49-27 and 27-16 to win the Bledisloe Cup for an 11th year, but Horwill is confident his side will close the gap on their trans-Tasmans rival in the third Bledisloe Cup Test at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Saturday having now spent six games and two months together.

"There had been a bit of a whirlwind - we had a new coach, new structures, everything had been new and we tried to put it together very quickly," Horwill said. "Guys were a little bit unsure about what was happening. Just a lack of confidence in the way we wanted to play."

McKenzie expressed frustration at New Zealand's tactics after the second Test, after the All Blacks had committed repeated infringements while defending their line in the opening two Bledisloe Cup Tests. The Wallabies' momentum was stalled on several occasions, and they were forced to take three points instead of pushing for seven, but Horwill hasn't spoken to referee Craig Joubert about the issue in the lead-up to the Dunedin Test.

"We need to be more clinical," Horwill said. "You can look around and blame other people, but we need to be better than we were."

Follow live text commentary of the Bledisloe Cup Test between New Zealand and Australia on Saturday, October 19 from 7pm (NZDT), 5pm (AEDT) and 6am (GMT)

James Horwill is confident his team will produce an improved performance in Dunedin